With the weather heating up and summer around the corner, now is the time for interested parties to become certified lifeguards.

The Mesquite Department of Athletics & Leisure Services will be offering a lifeguard training class from March 26-29 at the Mesquite Recreation Center.

The class will run over the course of the four days from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be taught by Michele Howells.

Approved by the American Red Cross, this course will teach and prepare its participants on the necessary physical and mental skills to respond to aquatics emergencies.

To be able to attend the class, there is a required swimming test that participants will have to take that includes a 300 yard freestyle and breaststroke, treading water for 2 minutes without using hands and retrieving a 10 pound brick from a depth of 10 feet.

The swimming tests will be held on the first day of class and classes will be limited to a maximum of 20 students.

Deadline for registration will be on March 16.

Lifeguards looking to extend their certification for another two years can sign up for a re-certification class on the final day of the course, limited to 15 students.

For more information, contact the Department of Athletics & Leisure at (702)-346-8732 or visit the Mesquite Recreation Center at 100 W. Old Mill Rd.